Force leads Funny Car qualifying

Sunday, Oct. 24, 1999 | 11:44 a.m.

Force covered the all-concrete quarter-mile in 4.844 seconds at 317.12 mph in his Castrol GTX Ford Mustang to pace the 16-car field. Force, who will face archrival Al Hofmann in Sunday's first round, can clinch his ninth NHRA Winston championship if he advances one round further than second place Tony Pedregon.

Scott Kalitta and Warren Johnson also will lead competitors in their respective professional categories in Sunday's eliminations at the $1.8 million race, the 20th of 22 events in the $40 million NHRA Winston Drag Racing Series.

Kalitta claimed his first No. 1 qualifying position of the season in Top Fuel as no one bettered his 4.546 at 318.92 effort Friday. Second-generation drag racer Kalitta, who last claimed a top qualifying effort in 1997 at Reading, Pa., has competed on a limited basis this season after sitting out the entire '98 schedule.

Johnson set both ends of the Pro Stock national record with his top qualifying effort of 6.822 at 202.33 in his GM Goodwrench Pontiac Firebird. It is Johnson's 15th No. 1 qualifying position of the season. He can clinch his fifth Winston championship Sunday if he wins the race and second-place challenger Kurt Johnson loses in the first round of eliminations.

In eliminations completed Saturday, Pro Stock Truck championship challengers Bob Panella and Brad Jeter advanced to the semifinals and will meet in a battle of Chevy S-10s on Sunday. Panella can clinch his first Winston title with a race victory and by setting a national elapsed time record.